Drone attack hits ship off the coast of India: Maritime agency

A drone attack off the Indian coast on Saturday damaged a ship but caused no casualties, two maritime agencies said, including one that said the commercial vessel had ties to Israel.

The attack caused a fire on board the ship, the British Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said.

Maritime security firm Ambry said the “Liberian-flagged chemical and product tanker…is Israeli-linked” and was heading to India from Saudi Arabia.

Both authorities said the attack occurred 200 nautical miles southwest of Veraval, India.

The Indian Navy said it had responded to the request for assistance.

“Aircraft were dispatched and over the ship, ensuring the safety of the ship and crew involved,” a Navy official told AFP.

“Warships of the Indian Navy were also dispatched to provide support if required.”

No one has claimed responsibility for the attack, which comes amid a spate of drone and missile attacks by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels on the vital Red Sea shipping route.

Iran has also been accused of carrying out attacks near its own waters.

An Israeli-owned cargo ship was attacked in the Indian Ocean last month by a drone attack believed to be by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, U.S. officials said.

The Maltese-flagged vessel, which is managed by an Israeli-affiliated company, was reportedly damaged when an unmanned aircraft exploded nearby, Ambry said.

Since the start of the Israel-Hamas war on October 7, shipping attacks in the Red Sea have prompted major companies to reroute cargo ships to near the southern tip of Africa, despite soaring fuel costs due to long-distance voyages. Became.

According to the Pentagon, Houthi rebels carried out more than 100 drone and missile attacks targeting 10 commercial ships involving more than 35 countries.

Source: guardian.ng